UK detectorist strikes gold

[Robert]

OK it's not copper but I thought it was a good article. Coin World, Mar 13 issue.

A guy "in the south of England" found a mid-14th century gold double florin worth an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 pounds. That's about a quarter million dollars.

The article goes on to say double florins from that time were believed not to exist until 2 small boys in 1857 found a pair of them in the mud by the river Tyne in Newcastle.

"The double florin, which had a face value of 72 pence, was the first issue of a large gold coin in England."

Apparently quite a few were made, but all were melted down. Only the ones from 1857 and now this one are known to exist.

It sounds like the British Museum may not buy this coin, having already bought the Anglo Saxon Coenwulf gold penny (also found by a metal detectorist) for 357,382 pounds. See Coin World, Mar 6 issue). (btw that coenwulf coin looks fake to me.)

"Will this be the first English coin to sell for $1 million U.S.?"

We'll see.

[Robert]

Oh, an article on the Coenwulf coin (including a picture) are in the Feb 20 issue of CW, page 2.